1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to: (1) aggregating agents for treating solid materials, surfaces, and/or substrates including metal oxide or ceramic solid materials, surfaces, and/or substrates (natural or synthetic), metallic solid materials, surfaces, and/or substrates, polymeric or plastic solid materials, surfaces, and/or substrates (natural or synthetic), solid plant materials, surfaces, and/or substrates, or other types of solid materials, surfaces, or substrates, (2) treated materials and (3) methods for making and using same.
More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relates to aggregating agents for particulate solid materials, surfaces, and/or substrates, where the aggregating agents modify surface properties of the materials, surfaces, and/or substrates increasing their aggregating propensity or properties. The present invention also relates to coated or modified materials, surfaces, or substrates, where the coating modifies an aggregating propensity of the materials, surfaces, or substrates. The present invention also relates to methods for altering an aggregation propensity of materials, surfaces, or substrates especially in downhole applications and in any other application, where altering an aggregation propensity of particulate solid materials, surfaces, or substrates is desirable or beneficial.
2. Description of the Related Art
Historically, the problem of aggregating particulate materials downhole has been addressed using epoxy resins, phenolic resins and tackifying agents as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,833,000; 5,871,049; 5,775,425; and 5,787,986.
More recently, reactions products alkyl pyridines and phosphate esters were introduced as inner salt of alkyl pryridinium phosphate ester products, which resulted in a decrease in a zeta potential of the substrate and therefore helped agglomeration properties of the as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,392,847.
Although there products are useful for aggregating or agglomerating particulates and treating formation surfaces to alter a zeta potential of the surfaces and/or particles, there is still an need in the art for products that can augment aggregating or agglomerating properties of particles and/or surfaces and/or augment zeta potentials of particles and/or surfaces.